The glory of Rome has passed. It is a time of battle and conquest, a time of heroic deeds and legends. From King Arthur fighting the Saxons; the renaissance of Charlemagne, conquering a new Roman Empire; Alfred the Great's wars against Guthram, King of the Danes; Otto of Germany, the new Holy Roman Emperor's campaigns against the Hungarian Magyars; to William the Conqueror's subjugation of England, these, the greatest of warriors, will live for ever more.
Seeking fame and fortune, men journeyed from the farthest reaches of Europe to join the comitatus, the warband, of a strong and powerful king. Athelstan, King of Mercia, was one such king who led a diverse army made up of Mercians, Wessexmen, Northumbrians, Bretons, Flemings, Carolingian Franks, Ottonian Germans, Irishmen, Welshmen, and Scandinavians from Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, to drive Olaf of Dublin from England and claim the title of King of all of Britain. Whether mounted astride his steed, or taking his place in the forefront of the shieldwall, these soldiers, or miles, were professionals trained in the arts of war serving their lord in return for arms and livelihood.
This list covers the armies of the mainly Germanic successors to the Western Roman Empire from the Sixth Century till the end of the Tenth. Armoured cavalry and the shieldwall are the basis of this list. Depending on your view of history, it is appropriate for sub-Roman Britons, Merovingian and Carolingian Franks, Anglo-Saxons, Scandinavian and Rus Vikings, Normans, Lombards, and Visigoths.
Army Selection:| Characters | Up to one-third of the points value of the army may be spent on characters. |
| Cavalry | Up to three-quarters of the points value of the army may be spent on milites equites (horse soldiers). |
| Infantry | Up to three-quarters of the points value of the army may be spent on milites pedites (foot soldiers). |
| Peasants, Mercenaries and Allies | Up to a half of the points value of the army may be spent on the pagensium militum (rural militia), mercenaries, and allies. |
The minimum size for a unit is five infantry or cavalry models. There is no upper limit. In each unit, one model may be upgraded to Leader for +5 points, one model may be upgraded to Standard Bearer for +5 points and one model may be upgraded to Musician for +5 points.
Special Rules:Shieldwall
By the end of the Roman Empire, the standard infantry tactic was the shieldwall. In a shieldwall the front rank holds its shields low, the second rank leans forward with its shields at an angle, and the third rank then holds its shields above their heads. Bowmen in the rear ranks then shoot over the shieldwall in support of the spearmen. The shieldwall was still used in the West after the fall of Rome, and surviving references talk of regular drill and wargames and of bowmen shooting from within and behind the shieldwall.
Units of infantry equipped with shields and armed with thrusting or throwing spears may form a shield wall instead of moving. A unit that has formed a shieldwall may not march or charge. The distance moved is halved if the unit wheels more than 1inch during its movement. As long as the unit is in a shieldwall, then the unit gains a +1 armour save modifier against all shooting and hand-to-hand attacks from the front of the unit. The unit benefits from the shieldwall as long as it does not lose a round of hand-to-hand combat or use any weapon other than thrusting or throwing spears.
A unit must normally consist of a single type of model. A shieldwall, however, may combine spearmen and bowmen in the same unit, with the bowmen making up the rear ranks. Bowmen are not counted as light troops if they are part of a shieldwall. The bowmen use massed archery to shoot over the heads of the spearmen, counting as half their number firing. Shooting hits must be applied to the front rank of the shieldwall. Casualties to the front rank may be replaced from any figure in the second rank. If sufficient spearmen are killed to bring bowmen into the front rank, the unit uses the leadership rating of the bowmen rather than the spearmen. If there are bowmen in the front rank, they take half of all hits from shooting with odd hits going against the spearmen. In hand-to-hand fighting against a shieldwall where there are bowmen in the front rank, each enemy model may choose which of the models it is in base contact it will fight.
You may notice that shieldwalls function differently in this list than Jervis Johnson's draft lists. Here the shieldwall is much closer to the testudo of the Early Imperial Roman list in Warhammer Ancient Battles. This way produces much the same result, but avoids oddities like shieldwall being effective against bolt throwers.
Ferocious Charges
Norman and perhaps other milites equites or knights were renowned for the ferocity of their charges. Few opponents could stand up to them. If a unit makes a ferocious charge and wins the round of combat, then their opponent will automatically break, with no leadership test being taken. Enemy units that can normally ignore break tests must roll a d6; on a roll of 1-3, they are broken anyway, and on a roll of 4-6, they hold.
Feigned Flight
A unit may normally only stand or flee when charged. A unit that feigns flight, feigns or pretends to flee the enemy charge to draw them on, and then, having practised the manoeuvre, turns on its pursuers in good order. This allows missile-armed troops to avoid an enemy charge and others to draw the enemy out of their shieldwall to be attacked in turn. Roman cavalry and foot practised feigned flight. We know that the Franks spent much of the wargames at Worms in 842 AD training in just this tactic, and the Welsh were famed for it in their wars with the English. The Bretons at the Battle of Hastings may well have used this tactic as well.
A unit that may use feigned flight, and that opts for the 'fire and flee', or 'flee' charge response, rallies immediately at the end of their movement. They may reform facing in any direction. If the charging enemy troops contact them, the fleeing troops are not destroyed, but instead fight in hand-to-hand combat. Their opponents still count as charging however.
Counter-charge
When charged, spear and lance-armed cavalry prefer to counter-charge, to charge back at their attackers. Cavalry are at a disadvantage if they are caught at a halt. They lose the psychological effect of a mass of charging horses and cannot use their spears effectively.
A unit that may counter-charge may choose that as a charge response when charged. If the unit that declared the charge is less than half of their charge move away, they catch the counter charging unit at the halt, otherwise, if they are further away, the counter-charging unit has time to respond and counter-charges successfully. Either way the counter-charging unit remains in its original position with the chargers being moved as normal. Units that successfully counter-charge are treated as charging for all purposes except that the unit that declared the charge unit strikes first as normal.
Characters:You may spend up to one third of the points of your army on characters. These represent the great princes leading their army into battle and their trusted and loyal followers.
0-1 King, Prince or Duke 160 points
To early medieval people, their King, Prince or Duke represented the warrior ideal. He was expected to lead his army from the front and fight in the thick of the battle.
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| King, Prince, or Duke | 4 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
9 |
| War-horse | 8 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
- |
- |
3 |
1 |
- |
Equipment: Armed with a sword, light armour and a shield.
Options: May have a thrusting spear or throwing spears for +2 points or heavy throwing spears or a lance for +3 points. May have a double-handed axe for +3 points. May have javelins for +2 points. May have a composite bow for +3 points or a longbow for +4 points. May ride a horse (increasing his movement rating to 8) for free or a war-horse for +3 points.
Special Rules: The King, Prince, or Duke is the army general. Any unit within 12 inches may use his leadership rating. He may form part of a shieldwall if he is dismounted with an infantry unit. He may counter-charge when charged if he is mounted.
0-1 Battle Standard Bearer 80 points
Few standards are as famous as the Norse Raven standard, but few armies of the period went into battle without a standard to guide them. Many standards were attributed magical powers.
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| Battle Standard Bearer | 4 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
8 |
| War-horse | 8 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
- |
- |
3 |
1 |
- |
Equipment: Armed with a sword, light armour and a shield.
Options: May have a thrusting spear or throwing spears for +2 points or heavy throwing spears or a lance for +3 points. May have a double-handed axe for +3 points. May have javelins for +2 points. May have a composite bow for +3 points or a longbow for +4 points. May ride a horse (increasing his movement rating to 8) for free or a war-horse for +3 points.
Special Rules: The battle standard bearer carries the army standard. Any unit within 12 inches may re-roll break tests. He may form part of a shieldwall if he is dismounted with an infantry unit. He may counter-charge when charged if he is mounted.
Magnate 80 points per model
The magnates or great men of the period were known by many titles, Count, Earl, Thegn, etc, but their role remained the same. These nobles lead from the front, inspiring their troops.
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| Magnate | 4 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
8 |
| War-horse | 8 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
- |
- |
3 |
1 |
- |
Equipment: Armed with a sword, light armour and a shield.
Options: May have a thrusting spear or throwing spears for +2 points or heavy throwing spears or a lance for +3 points. May have a double-handed axe for +3 points. May have javelins for +2 points. May have a composite bow for +3 points or a longbow for +4 points. May ride a horse (increasing his movement rating to 8) for free or a war-horse for +3 points.
Special Rules: A magnate may form part of a shieldwall if he is dismounted with an infantry unit. He may counter-charge when charged if he is mounted.
Berserker 80 points per model
Berserkers are warriors who, disregarding all danger, flung themselves at the enemy in a berserk rage. Those who survived were famed for their feats in battle (and at the drinking-table too).
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| Berserker | 5 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
6 |
Equipment: Armed with a sword and a shield.
Options: May have a thrusting spear for +2 points. May have a double-handed axe for +3 points. May have light armour for +3 points.
Special Rules: A berserker is frenzied. He may form part of a shield wall and causes fear in troops with a leadership rating of 7 or less.
Cavalry:
You may spend up to three-quarters of the points of your army on cavalry. The barbarian tribes that later conquered Rome had provided large contingents of cavalry for its armies in the final years of its rule. This cavalry continued to form the main striking force of most of the Kingdoms that succeeded Rome in the Dark Ages.
Household Cavalry 24 points per model
Most nobles of the period had a force of mounted soldiers or milites equites in their personal household or beholden to them. These huscarls, druzhina, cnights, thegns, etc were the predecessors of the knights of later eras. In some areas, cavalry preferred to skirmish with the enemy shieldwall by throwing spears and javelins, in others a more decisive charge was in favour. They could also dismount and fight on foot if the situation demanded.
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| Household Cavalry | 8 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
Equipment: Armed with a sword or axe, throwing spears, light armour and a shield.
Options: May replace throwing spears with a thrusting spear for free, or with a lance for +2 points. May have javelins for +2 points. May have a short bow for +2 points or a composite bow for +3 points. May replace shield with a large shield for +1 point.
Special Rules: Household cavalry may count a rank bonus of up to +1 even though cavalry. They may counter-charge when charged.
Light Horse 15 points per model
As well as the full-time soldiers of the household troops, the milites rusticii, the rural landholders were obliged to fight for their lord. Although not as well trained and equipped the household cavalry, they were still useful soldiers.
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| Light Horse | 8 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
7 |
Equipment: Armed with throwing spears.
Options: May have a sword or axe for free. May replace throwing spears with a thrusting spear for free. May have javelins for +1 point. May have a short bow or lockbow (a simple crossbow counting as a composite bow for shooting) for +1 point or a composite bow for +2 points. May have a shield for +1 point or a large shield for +2 points.
Special Rules: Light horse are light cavalry. They may use feigned flight if charged.
Infantry:
You may spend up to three-quarters of the points of your army on infantry. Despite the power of the cavalry, the bulk of most Dark Age armies were still on foot. Even the noble cavalry would dismount when necessary.
Household Foot 14 points per model
These milites pedites formed shieldwalls whose front ranks were made up of well-trained and equipped soldiers fighting on foot. The household would dismount and fight on foot if necessary, either to storm a fortification or to form a solid shieldwall when defence was the best option. In some cases the household was spread along the whole shieldwall forming the front rank, with the lesser troops forming the bulk of the unit. In the interests of simplicity, any unit with first-rate troops in the front ranks is counted as a unit of first rate troops. Unless they suffer horrendous casualties, they will, after all, continue to fight and stiffen the resolve of the whole shieldwall. Anglo-Saxon and Danish troops may have a double-handed axe in addition to their spears. This allows them to choose the weapon best suited to the circumstances. Spears and a shieldwall are better against an initial charge or a lightly armoured foe, whereas the Danish Longaxe may be better against heavily armoured cavalry.
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| Household Foot | 4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
8 |
Equipment: Armed with a sword or axe, throwing spears, light armour and a shield.
Options: May replace throwing spears with a thrusting spear for free, or with heavy throwing spears for +1 point. May have a double-handed axe for +1 point. May have javelins for +2 points. May replace shield with a large shield for +1 point.
Special Rules: Household foot may form a shieldwall. They may have bowmen in the rear ranks of the shieldwall.
Spearmen 7 points per model
Most armies of the period could call up significant numbers of spearmen. These were usually lesser landholders, soldiers with less time to train and less wealth to provide themselves with good equipment, but they were still a formidable force.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | |
| Spearmen | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Equipment: Armed with throwing spears and a shield.
Options: May replace throwing spears with a thrusting spear for free, or with heavy throwing spears for +1 point. May have javelins for +1 point. May have light armour for +2 points. May replace shield with a large shield for +1 point.
Special Rules: Spearmen may form a shieldwall. They may have bowmen in the rear ranks of the shieldwall.
Bowmen 6 points per model
By the end of the Western Roman Empire, the bow had become an important weapon in Roman armies. It appears to have remained common, though little mentioned, in the Dark Ages. There are suggestions that the longbow was known to the Norse and Saxons well before this period and was used by at least the Welsh and the Vikings in this period.
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| Bowmen | 4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
7 |
Equipment: Armed with a long knife or axe and a short bow.
Options: May have a composite bow for +1 point or a longbow for +2 points. May have a buckler or shield for +1 point. May have light armour for +2 points.
Special Rules: Bowmen are either light infantry or must form the rear ranks of a shieldwall. They may use massed archery.
Peasants, Mercenaries and Allies:You may spend up to half of the points of your army on peasants, mercenaries and allies. Sometimes these dire measures are necessary!
Peasant Levy 3 points per model
In times of dire need, the King could call on every able-bodied man within a day's travel to fight an invader. Poorly armed and untrained, their usefulness is doubtful.
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| Levy | 4 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
Equipment: Armed with improvised weapons.
Special Rules: Peasants are a warband and they fear all enemies except other peasants.
Skirmishers 3 points per model
Most armies would also include numbers skirmishers to harass the enemy shieldwall and cover the flanks. The Picts and the Norse also seem to have used a weapon known as the lockbow, a type of primitive crossbow, perhaps similar to the Roman crossbow. The lockbow was much lighter than a medieval crossbow and should be treated as a composite bow with the limitations of a crossbow.
M |
WS |
BS |
S |
T |
W |
I |
A |
Ld |
|
| Skirmishers | 4 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
5 |
Equipment: Armed with a knife and javelins.
Options: May have a buckler or shield for +1 point. May have throwing spears for +1 point. May replace javelins with a short bow, lockbow (a simple crossbow counting as a composite bow for shooting), or sling for free, with a composite bow for +1 point, or with a longbow for +2 points.
Special Rules: Skirmishers are, naturally enough, skirmishers. They may use feigned flight if charged and they fear all enemies except other skirmishers.
Mercenaries and Allies
Mercenaries and allies may be chosen from the Armies of Antiquities Barbarian, Nomad Horde, Norman, Saxon, and Viking lists and from other Kingdoms from this list.
Choosing a Historical Army
The following notes give a few guidelines on creating a historical army from the early medieval period. There really is very little factual information about this period, so feel free to modify these suggestions to match your perceptions.
Anglo-Saxons (English)
The Anglo-Saxons had a reputation for steadiness and even obstinacy in the face of adversity. They seem to have preferred thrusting spears and shields rather than throwing spears or lances. Although they did use bows (at least one noble impressed the Danes with his skill with the bow), they may not have used longbows. Some historians have claimed that the Saxon kingdoms of England did not use cavalry, only mounted infantry who dismounted to fight (as at Hastings and Maldon). Dismounting has its advantages and was a tactic used in many circumstances, but there is clear evidence of Anglo-Saxon cavalry at Stamford Bridge and other battles. As a matter of interest, JRR Tolkien's Rohirrim in the Lord of the Rings are closely based on the Anglo-Saxons.
Britons (Sub-Roman or Arthurian)
Sub-Roman Britons were probably more often armed with throwing spears rather than thrusting spears. They may have retained the Roman pilum, a heavy barbed throwing spear that was still in use at the end of the Empire, or used its barbarian equivalent, the angon. If you believe they used these weapons, replace their throwing spears with heavy throwing spears. They didn't use longbows, lances or double-handed axes. With Huns and other Roman cavalry stationed in Britain until the Roman withdrawal, the Britons may have retained the use of the composite bow from horseback.
Britons (Welsh, and Breton)
Once the Saxons had pushed the Britons into the western part of the country, they became known as the Welsh, from the Germanic word for Celt or foreigner. The Cymry, as they called themselves, were closely related to another group of British refugees, the Bretons by trade and marriage. Both seem to have used thrusting spears and shields rather than throwing spears or lances. The Welsh are a likely candidate to use the longbow in this period. Both used large numbers of skirmishers armed with javelins or bows. Breton cavalry appear to have used bows from horseback.
Franks, Eastern (Germans)
Charlemagne (Charles the Great) conquered Saxony, Swabia, and the rest of the German lands. On his death, his great empire was split among his three sons with the Eastern part eventually becoming the Holy Roman Empire (most of which is now Germany). The eastern Franks preferred larger horses and heavier armour than their western counterparts.
Franks, Western (French)
The Romans valued the Franks as cavalry in their Imperial army. This legacy of native German cavalry combined with the Sarmatian and other eastern military colonies left in Gaul gave them an excellent basis for cavalry warfare. The western Franks (French) preferred close skirmishing against the enemy shieldwall to rather than charging home as a method of creating a break in the enemy ranks. Their cavalry used throwing spears and bows, and wore lighter armour than the eastern Franks. To suit this style of warfare their cavalry and infantry practised feigned flight during their manoeuvres and wargames. The western Franks probably did not use longbows or lockbows (although Arrian makes an interesting comment about the use of crossbows from horseback in Ars Tactica). In the early part of the period the Frankish household foot used francisca throwing axes and angon heavy throwing spears. You may want to count them as armed with heavy throwing spears. Later, thrusting spears seem to have been more popular.
Lombards (Italians)
When threatened by the Avars, the Lombards turned on their Byzantine allies (having helped them re-conquer Italy from the Ostrogoths in the Sixth Century) and took most of Italy for themselves. Their laws divided freemen (arimannus) into three classes. The wealthiest landowners were expected to muster with a mail shirt, shield, lance, and horse. The second category was required to have a shield, lance and horse. All other free men had to appear with a shield, bow, and arrows (Beeler). This contrasts with the spears required of most other free men.
Normans
Right at the end of the period covered by this list, the Normans (Norsemen) settled in what became Normandy as vassals of the Frankish King. For later Normans and their Sicilian and crusading cousins, use the Norman list. Norman cavalry normally carried a lance, rode war-horses, and charged ferociously. Their infantry and other cavalry are normally armed with thrusting spears and shields, rather than throwing spears, although some appear in the Bayeaux Tapestry with bows. Some may have carried double-handed axes for dismounted action. They probably did not use longbows.
Norsemen (Danes and Norwegians)
The Norsemen or Vikings (including the Angles, Jutes, Saxons and Danes) were the scourge of Europe in throughout this period, travelling as far afield as the Mediterranean and the Volga. Norsemen were normally armed with spears, axes, and shields. Their characters are likely to carry a double-handed axe or a bow to exhibit their prowess. The Norse used bows that bear remarkable similarities to medieval longbows (and have been found in far greater numbers than later medieval longbows).
Rus (Russians and Swedes)
In the late Eighth Century, Swedish Vikings began to penetrate the Russian waterways from the Dvina to the Dnieper and even to the Volga in pursuit of trade. Several city-states, Kiev being the most prominent, began to emerge by the middle of the Ninth Century. The use of the double-handed axe was restricted to the ranks of the druzhina, or prince's guard, and the long spear became popular. Thrown weapons such as hand axes and javelins were also popular. References to the druzhina fighting mounted prior to the second half of the Eleventh Century are ambiguous. Given the distances that the Rus armies campaigned over, it is hardly surprising that boats and horses were used to give the army extra strategic mobility. (Tom Downs)
Visigoths (Spanish)
The Visigoths were the first of the barbarians to take a chunk of the Roman Empire, first as allies and then as invaders, when in the Fourth Century they moved across the Danube fleeing the Huns. They moved through the Balkans, Italy and Southern France before settling in Spain. They seem to have favoured fighting á la jinete, as light cavalry. Their bowmen receive particular mention in Byzantine sources, but they also fielded heavy spearmen to back them up.
References:
I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Warhammer Ancient Battles mailing list (http://www.ancientbattles.com), particularly Tom Cain for sparking my interest and Tom Downs for material on the Kievan Rus, the shameless plundering of various lists by Jervis Johnson, and Fiona, my beautiful wife, for her editing.
